New York (Union)
The United Nations Coordinator for Peace in the Middle East, Tor Wensland, said that UNRWA is indispensable for regional stability, stressing that there is no justification for collective punishment of the Palestinians.
The UN Coordinator added in his briefing to a UN Security Council session held yesterday evening, that “UNRWA remains the backbone of the United Nations humanitarian response in Gaza, a lifeline for millions of Palestine refugees, and is indispensable for regional stability.”
Wensland explained that the killing of civilians in the Gaza Strip is occurring at an unprecedented rate, noting that famine in the northern Gaza Strip has become imminent.
He said that he was “appalled by the enormous amount of death, destruction and suffering caused by the Israeli military campaign in Gaza,” stressing that “nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.” He added: “I am deeply concerned about the potential nightmare of displacing more than a million people again if Israel carries out its planned ground operation in Rafah.”
He called on Israel to fulfill its obligations under international law, including allowing and facilitating rapid and unhindered humanitarian access to and throughout Gaza.
#United #Nations #UNRWA #indispensable #regional #stability